$290 million CJIA scanner shuts down after five months

Oct 09, 2021 News

Kaieteur News – One of the new scanners carrying a price tag of GYD$290M that was installed and commissioned some five months ago at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) has reportedly shut down.

The CTX 5800 Checked Luggage Scanner that is currently out of working order

According to information reaching this media house yesterday, the scanner that is currently out of working order is a CTX 5800 Checked Luggage Scanner. Also confirming this development was the Minister of Public Infrastructure, Juan Edghill.
The Minister said, “We are having some issues with one of the scanners and the persons at the airport are currently in contact with suppliers of the machine to fix those issues as soon as possible”.
Kaieteur News understands that the issue that led to the scanner shutting down is a technical one.
The CTX 5800 Checked Luggage Scanner was commissioned in May this year along with other screening equipment. The government had spent a total of $400M for the equipment they labelled as “high tech”.
Edghill had stated during the commissioning ceremony that the equipment purchased are “new and state-of-the-art ones that will replace the old scanners and boost Guyana’s aviation security”.
The scanner that is currently non-functional was installed as it can quickly identify threats in checked baggage. Over 2000 of the explosive trace detection scanners, which are Transportation Security Administration (TSA) certified and European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) Standard 3 approved, are currently installed and in operation throughout the Caribbean, North and Latin America.
Last night the airport’s public relations officer, Shunza Samuels, issued a statement on the inoperable scanner noting that “currently corrective works are underway and are expected to be completed shortly.”
Explaining the genesis of the problem, Samuels related that on September 11, last the Smiths-Detection CTX 5800 displayed a system error and became inoperable. The supplier and manufacturer, she added, were immediately contacted for technical support.
After consultation, a decision was taken to have a Smith’s-Detection Engineer fly into Guyana to conduct diagnostic tests.
In the meantime, Samuels noted, passengers’ bags are screened via the redundant security scanners at the airport.
Guyana was promised a US$150M state-of-the-art and modernised international airport since 2011 by the current administration. A contract was signed with the Chinese Company, China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) to construct this facility but to date, Guyana is yet to receive such an airport.
This administration had lost power in 2015 and the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition had taken over. Under the APNU+AFC’s Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson, the designs were altered, reportedly to cut cost.
The Coalition government lost power in 2020 and the modernised airport is still incomplete.
This current administration is now promising that it will be completed early 2022, but Edghill has stated that the cost will not surpass US$200M.

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